University of Tasmania (UTAS)

Welcome to a place like nowhere else

Overview

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is the fourth oldest university in Australia and has a rich history. It is proud to feature in the top 300 universities in the world, as per the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2018. It is Australia’s premier university for teaching excellence, having received more teaching awards than any other Australian university.

With over 4,400 international students in a student body of around 38,000, UTAS is committed to providing a welcoming environment for them through ready access to staff and customised support services. The University offers more than 100 undergraduate and 150 postgraduate programs. These include degrees in traditional disciplines such as law, medicine, business, IT, arts, education and science but also niche programmes taking advantage of Tasmania’s unique location and ecosystems including marine and Antarctic science, maritime engineering, food safety, rural and polar health, and environmental law and governance.

The University is located in Australia’s most southern state, Tasmania. Being the only university in the state offers UTAS privileged partnerships with state government and business as well as research agencies such as CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Division.

It has two main campuses, one located in the picturesque waterfront capital, Hobart, and the other in Launceston on the banks of the Tamar River. Lonely Planet lists Tasmania in its Top 4 must visit destinations in the world and the state provides students with a year-round festival calendar, World Heritage-listed parks, and endless travel opportunities.

UTAS is a great option for students as it gives them a unique opportunity to obtain a brilliant education in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

What’s new

The University of Tasmania is committed to providing high quality facilities. To that end, the University is investing significant amounts in teaching and research facilities as well as student accommodation. In 2018, the Media School’s new campus was opened in Salamanca Square on Hobart’s waterfront, putting the University’s journalism, media and communications students in the heart of Hobart’s cultural precinct. The Media School has state-of-the-art media technologies and is in the centre of Tasmania’s media and film industries. UTAS has also invested AUD50 million in new CBD student accommodation in Hobart.

These latest projects add to the University’s rapidly expanding property portfolio, which includes the AUD96 million Hedberg, a creative industries and performing arts project, encompassing the Theatre Royal and the University Conservatorium of Music, the world leading Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies waterfront complex, and expansions at University’s Sandy Bay campus in Hobart.

In 2017, the University also unveiled plans for a AUD260 million redevelopment of its Launceston campus, with the eventual footprint of the Inveresk site being larger than that of the University of Melbourne. The grand vision will be home to around 16,000 students and staff.

Teaching quality

The University of Tasmania is Australia’s premier university for teaching excellence, receiving more teaching awards than any other Australian university from the Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching in 2012, 2013, 2015.

The prestigious QS World University Rankings ranks the University in the top 300 universities in the world and amongst the world’s top universities in a range of disciplines: the University’s Earth & Marine Sciences stands proudly in the top 50 in the world Agriculture & Forestry in the top 100, Art & Design in the top 150, Environmental Studies in the top 200 Sociology, and Education & Training in the top 250, and Medicine in the top 300. The University is also ranked number one in the world for Southern Ocean research by the League of Scholars.

The University’s rich portfolio of research excellence across a broad range of subjects is similarly recognised as being ‘at or above world standard’ in 48 of 51 disciplines, and has helped secure its place at the top of Australian universities in geomatic engineering research, fisheries sciences, and journalism and professional writing.

Study options

The University of Tasmania offers a wide choice of generalist and specialist degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Options of combined degrees, degrees by coursework or research, online study, internships, studying abroad, and breadth subjects give students the flexibility to customise degrees to their own individual needs.

UTAS also offers English and foundation studies programmes. These help those students who have not met the English or academic entry requirements to gain the necessary skills to progress on to a program of study at the University.

The University of Tasmania has four colleges, which cover the major disciplines:

College of Arts, Law and Education

College of Health and Medicine

College of Sciences and Engineering

Tasmanian School of Business and Economics

The colleges house a number of research centres and schools.

The University is also home to three global-leading institutes that teach niche programmes and conduct cutting-edge research:

Entry requirements

Students wishing to study at the University Tasmania must meet the minimum English language and academic entry requirements. Some courses have higher English language or academic entry requirements, prerequisite subjects, or additional conditions such as portfolios or interviews.

Standard Academic requirements

Admission to undergraduate courses at the University of Tasmania requires qualifications equivalent to Australian Year 12 with a required grade. Students who do not meet the academic entry requirements for their course may enrol in the University’s Foundations Studies Program.

Entry into a postgraduate course requires the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree with the required grade. Work experience may be required or used for alternative entry for some undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

English Language Requirements

Unless students gained their qualification in a recognised English-speaking country, they are required to provide current evidence of English language proficiency. In most cases, UTAS accepts IELTS, TOFL PTE Academic, Cambridge CAE, Cambridge CPE, Cambridge BEC and UTASAccess-English.

If students were entirely taught and assessed in English, they may meet the requirement. If they do not meet the standard of English required via an accepted English language proficiency test, the English Language Centre provides an English language program and testing facility.

Hobart

The Sandy Bay campus is located between Mount Wellington and the Derwent River in Hobart’s beachside suburb, Sandy Bay. The campus is close to shops, transport, accommodation, entertainment and services and is just a short walk to Hobart CBD. It shares close links with the University’s city-based satellite campuses including the Domain, the Conservatorium of Music, the School of Creative Arts, the award-winning Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies on Hobart's waterfront, and the multi-million dollar Medical Sciences Precinct, home to both the College of Health and Medicine and the Menzies Research Institute.

UTAS is planning further expansion of facilities in the Hobart CBD, with the Academy of Creative Industries and Performing Arts being built next to the Theatre Royal and a new media hub in Salamanca.

Just outside the city are the University Farm and the University's observatories.

Launceston

The Newnham campus is a spacious campus that overlooks the Tamar River and is located a short drive from the city centre. It is close to local shopping centres and serviced by public transport and cycle lanes. The Newham campus is also home to the Australian Maritime College, Australia's national centre for maritime education and training. The campus also houses the Human Interface Technology Lab (HITLab AU), one of only three of its kind in the world. A satellite campus, Inveresk, is located at the cultural precinct adjacent to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery near Launceston's inner city. This campus features award-winning facilities which are home to the School of Creative Arts | Art & Theatre and the School of Technology, Environments and Design.

Scholarships & funding

The University of Tasmania’s generous scholarship program provides significant financial and academic support to study at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

For international students, the Tasmanian International Scholarships (TIS) program is one of Australia’s most generous awards. It rewards academic achievement with a 25 per cent reduction on registered tuition fees for most undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Applicants are automatically assessed for the Tasmanian International Scholarship at the time of submitting their application. Selection for this scholarship will be based on academic merit achieved in studies at secondary, diploma and degree level courses, and qualifications and grading scales can vary significantly from country to country. Applications are assessed for all semester intakes and selection will be based on an applicant's highest level qualification prior to commencing their intended study program (minimum one year duration).

A number of other generous international scholarships are available, including English and Foundation Studies Program scholarships and faculty and institute special bursaries.